Water is an unavoidable contaminant in fuel. It can affect fuel system component reliability and lead to operational delays and increased maintenance activities. In addition, the propensity for microbiological contamination is directly proportional to the presence of water and the temperature within fuel tanks. Sources of water in fuel tanks is from fuel loaded into the fuel tank during refuel (dissolved water) and from air entering the fuel tank via its ventilation system.
Most existing solutions for water management in fuel tanks involve either scavenging water in the liquid phase within the fuel tank, or processing ingress moist air entering the fuel tank via the ventilation system.